- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…coming out of the closet, the work we’ve done to become whole and unashamedly ourselves is deeply spiritual. Perhaps this is the Torah that gay men and lesbians have heard and give the world – the lesson that we all, gay or not, must be honest about our lives. And it’s a lesson that is useful for all of us. The weekday morning liturgy affirms this biblical instruction and includes this powerful statement about honesty: A person should always be in…
…not think this is funny. The filmʼs use of Latin, on the other hand was a bit bizarre. Icelandic would have been an equally appropriate choice, as Icelandic was spoken in Israel about as much as Latin in that period. Even more bizarre, I am told, is the negative portrayal of Jews in the film. Not just the deicide – that “the Jews” are assigned responsibility for the death of the filmʼs protagonist – but worse, all of the Jews have crooked teeth a…
…as lights and meters attached. In short, bikes do infringe on shabbat prohibitions, but clearly not to the same degree as cars. Another alternative for you is to consider moving closer to the shul. You can be sure other members will help you. Many BEKI members have made this move with great results. As for your own decision, you must consider your health, the state of repair of your bicycle, and your religious outlook. Whether you come by Schwinn…
…gth as a physical and spiritual healer of her people, may not be as outwardly visible but is most certainly there. Another similarity as I said before, is their strength as individuals, not just as who they’re related to. Both of these women speak their minds, which I find to be a very important trait in anybody. A final similarity, it seems to me, is family relationships. Both of these women had strong family ties, whether it was to a spouse, lik…
…i remembered my face and my name, after meeting me just once before, and only briefly. He even acknowledged Bruce and me at the end of services and encouraged the congregation to welcome us. I felt embraced, and I didn’t feel invisible anymore. One day I was speaking with my brother-in-law on the phone. I was talking about BEKI (which by this time I had joined) and the feeling that I have here. And I confided in him that one day I’d like to get up…
…haze, how awesome is this place!” Let’s look at this word, nora, more closely. Interestingly, we use it all the time, in the familiar triad of Godly attributes in the introduction to the Amida prayer: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohenu vElohei avoteinu, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitshaq, vElohei Ya`aqov, ha-El ha-gadol ha-gibor ve-ha-nora. Blessed are You, Adonai, our God and God of our ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitshaq, and God of Ya`aqov, God the g…
…described as providing specific ritual service in the Tabernacle, especially service that was specifically delineated as different from that of other peoples, which would mean that they would not serve as temple prostitutes? We live in a country and in a religious community where the role of women, and the valuing of the contributions women make, has changed substantially in just a couple of generations. For example, the first ceremony in the US…
…s? Signed, Late for Work Dear Late, Why? Because it’s a tradition. Originally only one qaddish was said, and only one person, usually a mourner, said it. There are some communities that still do it that way. But if there were more than one mourner present, the other mourners were deprived of the honor. Qaddishes were then added so that more of the mourners would have the opportunity to say a qaddish. We can say qaddish any time there is a minyan a…
…27 Aug Family Apple Picking w/PJ Library August 27, 2023 10:00 am – 11:30 am Kids Programs Get in the Rosh Hashanah mood with an apple picking party at Silverman’s Farms in Easton, CT, co-sponsored by PJ Library. We will learn a […] More Info…
…orks, but in general this is an exhibition with many exclusions. Additionally, only three works in the exhibition were created by women artists, including Belle Greenberg and Deborah Joy, who were BEKI members when they donated their own work, leaving the lovely small painting “Rabbi” by Judith Aamidor as the only woman created artwork that was purchased by a donor. We chose to honor the many missing people with a large empty frame. Our call to co…
